But, I thought it wasn't specific enough. Does anyone use usb sticks for their install to their HDDs in their computer?

I am just wondering if Unetbootin is still a good resource for creating the iso on the usb HDD. I really would like multiple distros to boot from but the various instructions out there seemed a bit complex and I tried it once a long time ago but didn't succeed so I did it the traditional way.

I am planning on using two usb sticks. One will store my various distros (iso files) and then I'll just copy which one to the other usb when I do the install.

I think CD/DVD isn't needed anymore for these installs unless Unetbootin has a bug or is there a good alternative program out there now?

Thanks for any info.

Btw, one last question: I'm not sure which DE I prefer. I haven't tried the latest versions of KDE, XFCE but I wasn't too fond of the newest Gnome. I was going to try Cinnamon and/or MATE. They're both part of the same iso so I just pick one when doing the Install? I have no idea yet what they're like so what influences you to pick one over the other?

I believe everyone uses a pen drive these days... there is no point burning disks anymore. Unetbootin works on both windows and Linux but there's also something out there called pendrivelinux or something like that. Once your LMDE is installed you have an image writer by default along with backup tools and other goodies, works really well.

I recommend cinnamon for looks, customization and ease of use, its not the prettiest thing out of the bag but with a nice theme and a few adjustments its perfect imo. KDE and Gnome 3 aren't DE's, they're monstrosities...

toomuchcoffee wrote:I believe everyone uses a pen drive these days... there is no point burning disks anymore. Unetbootin works on both windows and Linux but there's also something out there called pendrivelinux or something like that. Once your LMDE is installed you have an image writer by default along with backup tools and other goodies, works really well.

I recommend cinnamon for looks, customization and ease of use, its not the prettiest thing out of the bag but with a nice theme and a few adjustments its perfect imo. KDE and Gnome 3 aren't DE's, they're monstrosities...

edit: at the login screen you can pick betwean Cinnamon or Mate..

I've looked at pendrivelinux before but most of the apps I found were for Windows. Or the app is designed to install to an actual USB drive which is not what I'm looking for in this case.

What do you use to burn your .iso? I'll probably give Unetbootin another try for my Mint download. Thanks for the info.

telenux wrote:Does anyone use usb sticks for their install to their HDDs in their computer?

I use it all the time. In fact, I prefer it over the cd/dvd's as they are just wated once an install is over. I tried writing iso's to rewritable cd/dvd's, which was an iffy business most of the time

I am just wondering if Unetbootin is still a good resource for creating the iso on the usb HDD. I really would like multiple distros to boot from but the various instructions out there seemed a bit complex and I tried it once a long time ago but didn't succeed so I did it the traditional way.

You do not need unetbootin for that purpose.

I am planning on using two usb sticks. One will store my various distros (iso files) and then I'll just copy which one to the other usb when I do the install.

Grub2 can boot off iso's on a hdd/usb stick. I have about 3-4 iso's on my keydrive which I carry all the time. Once, a new iso is released, it is a matter of copying the iso to the keydrive and editing a couple of lines in a configuration file.

telenux wrote:Does anyone use usb sticks for their install to their HDDs in their computer?

I use it all the time. In fact, I prefer it over the cd/dvd's as they are just wated once an install is over. I tried writing iso's to rewritable cd/dvd's, which was an iffy business most of the time

I am just wondering if Unetbootin is still a good resource for creating the iso on the usb HDD. I really would like multiple distros to boot from but the various instructions out there seemed a bit complex and I tried it once a long time ago but didn't succeed so I did it the traditional way.

You do not need unetbootin for that purpose.

I am planning on using two usb sticks. One will store my various distros (iso files) and then I'll just copy which one to the other usb when I do the install.

Grub2 can boot off iso's on a hdd/usb stick. I have about 3-4 iso's on my keydrive which I carry all the time. Once, a new iso is released, it is a matter of copying the iso to the keydrive and editing a couple of lines in a configuration file.

I wish to use a usb drive for booting, also. But, I just need the usb stick for booting the distro/iso and then installing it to my HDD in my computer.

That's why Unetbootin is convenient for this. Unless, they have new bugs, it should work as I used it before. The last time I used it, it worked well.

I'm not sure how you boot between multiple isos and then choose one for installing on another HDD. I have to choose USB as primary or 'initial' bootup device.

If you can multiple boot out of your isos, that's pretty cool. But, I was concerned about problems. The link you provided includes quite a few comments of people having difficulties.

Using something like Unetbootin places the one distro's iso with relevant files. There's usually no issues although I know Unetbootin just copies the required iso and files. But, the multiple iso (distros) and config files seems to add other complications.

Ubuntu can be installed from a USB flash drive. This may be necessary for netbooks and other computers without CD drives and is handy for others because a USB flash drive is so convenient. Also, you can configure Ubuntu on the USB flash drive to save changes you make, unlike a read-only CD-ROM drive.